Martyr Mandeep Singh Inspires Youth to Join Defence Forces

Martyr Mandeep Singh, who lost his life on October 28 in a cross border firing between India and Pakistan, inspires youth from his village to join the Army.

A quaint little village, tucked in the bylanes of Kurukshetra, Haryana. On Diwali, this village mourns the loss of a national hero. Mandeep Singh, a brave young sepoy who lost his life on October 28 in the cross border firing between India and Pakistan.

But Mandeep leaves behind a legacy. Young voices in the village are inspired by him and want to join the armed forces.

Almost every family in Antehri has one member of the family in the forces. Many youngsters try hard to get into the forces. Some pass and others fail. But the passion has not gone unnoticed.

“It was always my dream to join the army. I have many friends in the army. As a child, whenever I saw army vehicles and army officers, I admired their passion” says 24-year-old Gurman Singh.

He studies in the night but during the day he works in the field and looks after his family cattle. It is not just him, another young boy Rakesh Kumar also shares the same dream. He helps in the fields all day and studies at night.

“I have given my papers. I have been trying to join the Indian army for 7-8 years now”, he says.

But fulfilling this dream is not as easy as it sounds and both young men live in fear that their dreams might not turn into reality.